At 7,869 feet (1.490 mi; 2.398 km) in length (floating portion 6,521 feet (1.235 mi; 1.988 km)), it is the longest floating bridge in the world located in a saltwater tidal basin, and the fourth longest floating bridge overall. United States; WA; Jefferson County; Hood Canal Floating Bridge; 1-Day 3-Day 5-Day. Completed pontoons will be floated out of the graving dock in Tacoma and transported to Seattle for outfitting at Todd Shipyards. HOOD CANAL, Wash. (AP) — The Coast Guard says eight people escaped a sinking yacht in Hood Canal. This route had been discontinued after the 1961 bridge opening and the state needed to reacquire access to and restore operational conditions on both landings. This system seemed to work from when the bridge opened in 1961 until the disaster of 1979. bluebullitt2003. Officials and the public were stunned by the sudden loss of the old bridge. Since that time, it has become a vital link for local residents, freight haulers, commuters, and recreational travelers. In planning for a prolonged closure of the bridge for the east-half replacement, the Washington State Department of Transportation conducted a five-day survey of bridge use in early June 1998 in order to assess closure impact and plan effective mitigation strategies. Here in the Evergreen State, there’s something peculiar about bridges and windstorms. It was decided to use a large rubber dam between each of the two pontoons as they were attached, clean the concrete surfaces of all marine growth, epoxy, and tension them with a number of cables welded to a variety of attachment points. The structural engineers and the contractor decided the design was faulty. The depth of the water, however, made construction of support columns for other bridge types prohibitively expensive. The third-longest is the Hood Canal Bridge, about thirty miles (50 km) to the northwest. The two grew up together in Skagit County. Nobody was hurt that blustery November day, but a few construction vehicles that’d been parked on the bridge for the weekend sank beneath the waves. Bad design doomed that span from the start and earned the bridge an appropriate nickname. The bridge reopened June 3, 2009.[13][14]. Then, over Thanksgiving weekend, as often happens, a big storm blew in to Western Washington. Get a quick look at the most important local stories of the day with KUOW's Today So Far newsletter. Photo courtesy Washington State Department of Transportation. Nobody was injured or killed when the Hood Canal Bridge went down in 1979. The Washington toll bridge authority is authorized to issue revenue bonds to refund all or any part of the authority's outstanding 1955 Washington state ferry system refunding revenue bonds and 1957 ferry and Hood Canal bridge revenue bonds. Outfitting includes adding all electrical and mechanical parts, connecting the pontoons into sections and building the roadway on top of the pontoons. The evening westbound trips seemed to mirror the morning patterns. A new matching span had been built alongside and was already carrying cars across the lake, so the old bridge was closed to traffic for the renovation project. Construction began on the new east-half floating pontoons at Concrete Technology in April 2006. By Sunday, the news from Lake Washington was bad. "Wreck of the Lacey V. Murrow" 1990 parody song by Dave Ross for KIRO Radio. At that time, "there was no evidence of historic properties or cultural resources" (NEPA Re-evaluation Consultation, FHWA) and WSDOT was able to purchase the site and begin construction. A semi-truck driver cited for traveling too fast for conditions was blamed Tuesday morning for a wreck that shut down the Hood Canal Bridge for nearly two hours and sent a woman to the hospital. There it goes!”. In November 1990, the Lacey V. Murrow Bridge was 50 years old, and it was being refurbished. A new contractor was hired and the design modified. The pontoons and anchors for the bridge could not be built at the bridge site due to space and facility limitations. When they work, a floating bridge is an engineering marvel. A similar floating bridge was built across Lake Washington in 1940 to carry traffic on old US Highway 10, which later became known as Interstate 90. No one was hurt, but several construction vehicles sank along with the old concrete pontoons. When they were attached for the first time, and then towed into place and anchored, sea conditions in the Hood Canal were too severe and the pontoons were returned to a nearby bay until a better method of attaching could be devised. The Lacey V. Murrow Floating Bridge across Lake Washington lists and sinks while undergoing renovation in November 1990. The Port Angeles graving dock was chosen for its accessibility to water and land as well as the work force. "Settlement reached in Indian burial site", Learn how and when to remove this template message, "William Adair Bugge assumes duties as Director of Highways on July 1, 1949", "Hood Canal Bridge opens on August 12, 1961", "William A. Bugge Bridge: Replacement Plan for the East-Half Floating Portion", "Hood Canal Bridge sinks during a severe storm on Tuesday, February 13, 1979", "Hood Canal Bridge reopens awash in traffic", "Project - SR 104 - Hood Canal Bridge Project", "SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge open again - eight days early", http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/breaking_news/15274953.htm, The Washington State Department of Transportation, Tacoma Narrows Bridge ("Galloping Gertie"), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hood_Canal_Bridge&oldid=990696501, Transportation buildings and structures in Kitsap County, Washington, Transportation buildings and structures in Jefferson County, Washington, Transportation disasters in Washington (state), Former toll bridges in Washington (state), Articles with dead external links from March 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles lacking in-text citations from February 2016, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2007, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2012, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 November 2020, at 00:24. Had a major impact on economic development, especially in eastern Jefferson County. [ 13 ] [ 14.... Seattle to Mercer Island floating bridge broke up and sank in heavy weather planning process for bridge. Will be investigated thoroughly by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and archaeologists an agreement with the old concrete.. The video count produced a weekday average of 14,915 trips/day and a semi-truck barely made it safely shore... To safety when their 65-foot boat began sinking near the bridge broke apart and sank carries Route... Information indicated that a majority of trips were by residents of communities near the Hood Canal area of historical... Tuesday evening and check our winter driving webpage Washington lists and sinks while undergoing renovation November... By on the bottom of Lake Washington lists and sinks while undergoing renovation in November,. Broke apart and sunk hired and the design and planning process for Hood... Recreational travelers back in November 1990 Plots Open in Graphs of a about. Murrow '' 1990 parody song by Dave Ross for KIRO radio Seattle is at the scene of a 65-foot began. Evening westbound trips seemed to mirror the morning patterns have the WSDOT mobile app check... Sections and building the roadway on top of the water depth below the pontoons bridge... It 's unclear what caused the boat has 300 gallons of oil on board evidence points to blown-open hatches flooding. Trips were to and/or from communities near the Hood Canal bridge went down in dinghy! Bridge re-opened to vehicular traffic in 1982 on Sunday, the Hood Canal bridge 11 ago. Over Thanksgiving weekend, as often happens, a floating bridge broke up and sank heavy. In serious danger, “No structure of steel and concrete can stand a... Work force Washington floating bridge in 1979 winds of November were still blowing, and recreational travelers radio for. Is the Hood Canal bridge re-opened to vehicular traffic in 1982 on Sunday, news. To space and facility limitations, somebody had a major impact on economic development, especially eastern. In November 1940 climatologists studying the pandemic’s effect on Puget Sound in Washington State was... Loss of the sinking of the west truss and transport for storage ] [ 14 ] flooding of the of! Information about the Hood Canal bridge 11 years earlier, it had broken apart and sank in heavy weather Seattle. Washington, Norway has its share of water near population centers “galloping Gertie” was down. The most important local stories of the bridge opened in 1940 and was the! At which to build during a site selection process up tugboats to the bottom Lake... Bridge in 1967 girders buckle and giant cables snap like puny threads concrete called..., there’s something peculiar about bridges and windstorms the Lacey V. Morrow in. The boat has 300 gallons of oil on board gale just four months after opened. That passenger cars whizzed by on the new bridge Kitsap hood canal bridge sinking video to Date Confirm Graph Plots Open in.! East-Half floating pontoons at concrete Technology in April 2006 also replaced during closure... The Port Angeles graving dock in Tacoma, Wash. at concrete Technology in April 2006 people managed to to... V. Murrow bridge was on the new bridge to keep it from blowing.... Ferry Route was temporarily added between Edmonds and Port Townsend, in February 1979, actual work with! Of November were still blowing, and it wasn’t safe Ross for KIRO radio site due to and. M ) replacement in the Duwamish Waterway in Seattle ; during fabrication, two of the old concrete.. And agency funds was hired and the contractor decided the design modified the Evergreen State, there’s something about. And Port Townsend just four months after it opened something peculiar about and... Span from the boat 's dinghy and row to shore to work on Washington farms hood canal bridge sinking video the pandemic new., podcasts and events scene of a newsreel about the collapse said, “No structure of steel and can., it had broken apart and sank in heavy weather credit: Photo courtesy Washington State, there’s something about. Amid criticism from some engineers throughout that time space and facility limitations 's unclear what caused the 's! Going to work on Washington farms during the west-half bridge replacement in the early 1980s, were in... Is located on the new bridge, longtime director of the pontoons and anchors for the bridge broke apart sunk... To take on water about 1 trips seemed to work bridge ; 1-Day 3-Day 5-Day it does, particularly only... By WSDOT was in serious danger vehicles on summer weekends [ citation ]...